Miami’s Rare Snowfall: A 48-Year Memory

On January 19, 1977, Miami experienced its first and only recorded snowfall, marking a historic weather event nearly 48 years ago. Between 8 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., flurries began to fall across Broward and Miami-Dade Counties as an arctic cold front swept through Florida.

Snowflakes reached as far south as Homestead, although most melted upon touching the ground. Even The Bahamas reported a rare rain-and-snow mix, as a powerful Canadian high-pressure system extended into the Gulf of Mexico.

That day, Miami’s high temperature peaked at a brisk 47°F, with morning lows plunging into the 30s. The following day saw record-breaking cold in parts of South Florida: Fort Lauderdale hit 28°F, Miami Beach 32°F, and Homestead an icy 23°F.

Before 1977, the farthest south snow had been observed in Florida was between Fort Myers and Fort Pierce in February 1899. The 1977 snowfall, while a spectacle, caused over $300 million in agricultural losses across the region.

Though brief and rare, the snow of January 1977 remains a fascinating chapter in South Florida’s weather history—one that locals still reminisce about decades later.